US20130113915A1 - Method and System for Position Control Based on Automated Defect Detection Feedback - Google Patents
Method and System for Position Control Based on Automated Defect Detection Feedback Download PDFInfo
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- US20130113915A1 US20130113915A1 US13/292,358 US201113292358A US2013113915A1 US 20130113915 A1 US20130113915 A1 US 20130113915A1 US 201113292358 A US201113292358 A US 201113292358A US 2013113915 A1 US2013113915 A1 US 2013113915A1
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
- G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
- G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
- G05B19/418—Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
- G05B19/41875—Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM] characterised by quality surveillance of production
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01D—NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES
- F01D17/00—Regulating or controlling by varying flow
- F01D17/02—Arrangement of sensing elements
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01D—NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES
- F01D21/00—Shutting-down of machines or engines, e.g. in emergency; Regulating, controlling, or safety means not otherwise provided for
- F01D21/003—Arrangements for testing or measuring
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/84—Systems specially adapted for particular applications
- G01N21/88—Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination
- G01N21/8851—Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges
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- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
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- G01N21/8851—Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges
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- G01N21/84—Systems specially adapted for particular applications
- G01N21/88—Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination
- G01N21/8851—Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges
- G01N2021/8887—Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges based on image processing techniques
- G01N2021/8893—Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges based on image processing techniques providing a video image and a processed signal for helping visual decision
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- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
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- G05B2219/37206—Inspection of surface
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- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
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Definitions
- the present disclosure relates to position control used with automated defect inspection and, more particularly, relates to position control used with automated visual inspection of images or videos captured by borescopes.
- Video inspection systems such as borescopes have been widely used for capturing images or videos of difficult-to-reach locations by “snaking” image sensor(s) to these locations.
- Applications utilizing borescope inspections include aircraft engine blade inspection, power turbine blade inspection, internal inspection of mechanical devices, and the like.
- the member must typically be manually located within the device and reinspected to confirm the presence and extent of the defect identified in the images or video. Identifying and locating the defective member within the device may be time-consuming and difficult because of the size of the device, the quantity of members within the device that may need to be sorted through, the location of the defective member within the device, and, in some cases, the similarity of each member to one another. Accordingly, it would be beneficial if an improved technique were developed for controlling the position of members, within a device, for which defects have been detected.
- a method of performing position control may include providing a storage medium that stores data and programs used in processing images and a processing unit that processes the images, receiving, by the processing unit from an image capture device coupled to the processing unit, a set of images of a plurality of members inside of a device, detecting, by the processing unit, a defect in a first member of the plurality of members, and providing instructions to move the first member to an inspection position or other desired position in the device.
- a method for performing position control on defective blades in an aircraft engine may include providing a storage medium that stores data and programs used in processing video images and a processing unit that processes the video images, receiving from an image capture device video images of a plurality of the blades of the engine, the processing unit detecting a defect in the first blade of the plurality of blades based the video images, and providing instructions to move the first blade to an inspection position within the engine.
- a computer program product may comprise a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein.
- the computer readable program code may be adapted to be executed to implement a method for performing position control on defective blades in an aircraft engine. Such method may comprise receiving from an image capture device video images of a plurality of the blades of a stage of the engine, detecting a defect in the first blade of the plurality of blades based the video images, transmitting instructions to a turning tool rotate the first blade to an inspection position, and rotating the first blade to the inspection position.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a defect detection and position control system, in accordance with the present disclosure
- FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps of position control used in conjunction with automated defect detection, in accordance with the present disclosure.
- FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary set of images received by the processing unit of FIG. 1 .
- the system 2 may include an engine 4 having a plurality of stages 6 , each of the stages having a plurality of blades 8 , some or all of which may require visual inspection periodically or at predetermined intervals by an image capture device 10 .
- the image capture device 10 may be one or more borescopes.
- the engine 4 may be representative of a wide variety of engines, such as, jet aircraft engines, aeroderivative industrial gas turbines, steam turbines, diesel engines, automotive and truck engines, and the like.
- the system 2 may be employed to inspect other parts of the engine 4 , as well as to perform inspection on the parts or members of other types of equipment and devices. Such parts/members are not limited to blades.
- the system 2 may be used for medical endoscopes, inspecting critical interior surfaces in machined or cast parts, and the like.
- the image capture device 10 may be an optical device having an optical lens or other imaging device or image sensor at one end and capable of capturing and transmitting images 34 or videos through a communication channel 12 to a processing unit 14 .
- the image capture device 10 may be representative of any of a variety of flexible borescopes or fiberscopes, rigid borescopes, video borescopes or other devices, such as, endoscopes, which are capable of capturing and transmitting images 34 ( FIG. 3 ) or videos of difficult-to-reach areas through the communication channel 12 .
- the communication channel 12 in turn may be an optical channel or alternatively, may be any other wired, wireless or radio channel or any other type of channel capable of transmitting images 34 and videos between two points including links involving the World Wide Web (www) or the internet.
- a storage medium 20 may be in communication with the processing unit 14 .
- the storage medium 20 may store data and programs used in processing images 34 or videos of the blades 8 , and monitoring and controlling the position of the blade(s) 8 in the engine 4 .
- the processing unit 14 may receive and process images 34 of the blades 8 that are captured and transmitted by the image capture device 10 via the communication channel 12 . Upon receiving the images 34 , the processing unit 14 may automatically process the images 34 to perform feature extraction and image analysis and to determine whether there are any defects within any of the blades 8 . In other embodiments the defect detection may be semi-automated.
- the system 2 may include an output unit 18 .
- Results (e.g., the defects) may be transmitted through communication channel 16 and displayed or printed by the output unit 18 .
- the output unit may be a visual display, a printer, auditory unit, or the like.
- the output unit 18 may be a combination of the aforementioned exemplary output units.
- the output unit may comprise a visual display, an auditory unit, and a printer.
- the results may include information regarding whether any defects in any of the blades 8 were found. Information about the type of defect, the location of the defect, size of the defect, etc. may also be reported as part of the results.
- the output unit 18 may display a map of the engine 4 or a portion of the engine 4 and may identify the location of a defective blade 8 on the map.
- the output unit 18 may display directions to guide a user to locate a defective blade 8 in the engine 4 .
- the directions may be in a step by step format.
- the output unit 18 may provide auditory directions or signals to guide a user to locate a defective blade 8 in the engine 4 .
- the communication channel 16 may be any of variety of communication links including, wired channels, optical or wireless channels, radio channels or possibly links involving the World Wide Web (www) or the internet.
- the output unit 18 has been shown as being a separate entity from the processing unit 14 , this need not always be the case. Rather, in at least some embodiments, the output unit 18 may be part of the processing unit 14 and the results may be stored within and reported through the processing unit 14 as well. Furthermore, reporting of the results may involve storing the results in the storage medium 20 for future reference.
- the system 2 may include an input unit 22 coupled to the processing unit 14 .
- the input unit 22 may be a keyboard, touch screen or any other input device as known in the art.
- the input unit 22 may be coupled to the processing unit 14 by communication channel 24 . Similar to the communication channel 12 , communication channel 24 may be any of variety of communication links including, wired channels, optical or wireless channels, radio channels or possibly links involving the World Wide Web (www) or the internet.
- the system may also include a turning tool 26 coupled to the processing unit 14 by communication channel 28 .
- the turning tool 26 may be coupled to the engine 4 by direct mechanical coupling 30 or other means causing the movement of blades 8 .
- the turning tool may be coupled to the engine stage 6 .
- the turning tool 26 is configured to move the blades 8 of the engine 4 based on instructions provided to the turning tool 26 by the processing unit 14 .
- the turning tool 26 may be a motor configured to move a blade 8 of an engine stage 6 into an inspection position 38 based on instructions received from the processing unit 14 .
- the inspection position 38 may, for example, be a port or appropriately sized opening in the engine 4 through which maintenance or other personnel may visually inspect the blade 8 directly or using a borescope.
- the communication channel 28 may be any of variety of communication links including, wired channels, optical or wireless channels, radio channels or possibly links involving the World Wide Web (www) or the internet.
- FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart 100 showing sample steps which may be followed in performing automated defect detection and position control using the system 2 .
- the process proceeds to step 104 , in which an initial set 32 (see FIG. 3 ) of images 34 of members 8 of a device 4 may be received by the processing unit 14 from the image capture device 10 .
- the device may be an engine 4 and the members may be blades 8 within an engine stage 6 .
- the images 34 may be video images 34 or frames, or the like.
- the set 32 of images 34 may be sequential in terms of the order in which they are captured by the image capture device (e.g. image one followed by image two, etc.). In other embodiments, the images 34 may be non-sequential with regard to the order in which the images 34 were captured by the image capture device 10 . For example, every third image captured by the image capture device 10 may be received by the processing unit 14 .
- the blades 8 may be rotating in the engine 4 at the time the video images 34 are captured.
- the blades 8 may rotate toward or away from the image capture device 10 when the images 34 are being captured.
- the images 34 captured may be of the same blade 8 in different positions in the field of view of the image capture device 10 and/or may be of a plurality of blades 8 in different positions in the field of view of the image capture device 10 .
- there may be periodic or semi-periodic motion in the recorded videos of such inspected engine blades 8 .
- the processing unit 14 may extract the features from each blade 8 from the set 32 of images 34 and may detect defects in one or more blades 8 of the engine 4 .
- defects may be determined by comparing received image data from the image capture device 10 with a normal model of an undamaged blade 8 .
- the normal model may be created or otherwise learned automatically from data transmitted by the image capture device 10 , or alternatively, the normal model may be created by input from a user.
- RPCA Robust Principal Component Analysis
- RPCA may be utilized to determine the normal model and/or detect defects.
- RPCA may be applied to the set 32 of images 34 to decompose the set 32 of images 34 received by the processing unit 14 from the image capture device 10 into a first series of low rank component images (low rank matrix) and a second series of sparse component anomaly images (sparse matrix).
- first series of low rank component images low rank matrix
- sparse component anomaly images sparse component anomaly images
- the damaged areas for example nicks or dents, which tend to occupy a small percentage of the entire image, are captured in the sparse matrix and may, in some embodiments, be further processed for defect detection.
- An example of such additional processing done on image data in the sparse matrix may include statistical techniques such as polynomial fitting, blob extraction and size filtering, and morphological filtering and the like to detect non-smooth edges, to filter out small regions and sporadic pixels etc.
- a feature based approach for extracting features such as, corner-like features and intensity gradient features, to determine any common features between images 34 may be utilized.
- an image based approach may be utilized where the entire image is used when comparing a current image with prior images 34 .
- a combination of feature based and image based approaches, or other commonly employed technique for aligning and comparing the current and the prior images 34 may be employed as well.
- SURF Speeded Up Robust Features
- SIFT Scale Invariant Feature Transform
- NCC Normalized Cross Co-relation
- the automated defect detection analysis performed by the processing unit 14 may also implement a classifier that confirms and verifies potential defects as either defects or non-defects.
- the classifier may be implemented as a mathematical expression that may utilize the results of the automated analysis and may classify the results of the automated analysis into defects or non-defects and may report that classification as a binary output.
- the classifier may classify those results as a defect and may output a binary value of one (1).
- the classifier may classify those results as a non-defect and may output a binary value of zero (0).
- the classifier may be implemented by the processing unit 14 in any of a variety of ways provided that the technique chosen is compatible with the automated analysis technique of the step 106 .
- the classifier may be a support vector machine classifier, while in other embodiments the classifier may be a neural net classifier, a bayesian classifier and the like. Classifiers other than those mentioned above may be employed in alternate embodiments.
- Defects identified through automatic detection may include, but are not limited to, types of defects such as leading edge defects, erosions, nicks, dents, cracks or cuts, the location of the defects, the size of the defects and other defect parameters.
- a reference blade 36 is selected from the plurality of blades 8 . The selection of the reference blade 36 may be done automatically by the processing unit 14 or may be selected by a user of the system 2 and input via the input unit 22 into the processing unit 14 for use in indexing.
- the position of reference blade 16 is retained in storage medium 20 during the subsequent movement of blades 8 by continuously counting subsequent blades 8 and their direction of motion as they are seen by the image capture device ( 10 ).
- a reference blade 36 is selected and the location of each blade 8 is indexed in the engine stage 6 according to its relative position to the reference blade 36 .
- This relative position may be determined by the processing unit 14 by analysis of the set 32 of images 34 or video received from the image capture device 10 to determine the number of blades 8 , away from the specific blade 8 to be indexed, is from the reference blade 36 .
- the relative position of the blade to be indexed from the reference blade 36 may be determined by analysis of the images 34 or video captured by the image capture device 10 while the blade 8 moves or rotates in the engine 4 .
- each blade 8 within the engine stage 6 may be indexed by each blade's 8 unique appearance.
- the processing unit 14 determines each blade's 8 unique appearance by analysis of the images 34 or video received from the image capture device 10 .
- the processing unit 14 may utilize two dimensional segmented images 34 or three-dimensional images 34 synthesized from successive images 34 captured while the blade 8 moves or rotates in the engine 4 .
- the unique appearance of a blade includes one or more of its visual appearance, 2D or 3D shape, defects (regardless of size or operational significance), color, etc.
- the blades 8 may be indexed by their offset from a reference blade 36 of unique appearance. Similar to above, the unique appearance of the reference blade 8 may be determined by the processing unit 14 in a variety of ways. For example, a blade 8 of unique appearance may be determined from two dimensional segmented images 34 or may be determined by three-dimensional images 34 synthesized from successive images 34 captured by the image capture device 10 while the blade 8 moves or rotates in the engine 4 .
- step 110 the user may be provided with the option whether to investigate detected defects further.
- the user may chose to dismiss further investigation, in which case the process to step 118 and ends.
- the user may chose to investigate the defects further.
- step 112 the processing unit 14 transmits to a turning tool 26 instructions to move the defective blade 8 to an inspection position 38 .
- the turning tool 26 may be a motor.
- the turning tool 26 may be coupled, directly or indirectly, to the engine 4 or engine stage 6 .
- the turning tool 26 may be configured to move or rotate the defective blade 8 from its current position to an inspection position 38 based on the instructions transmitted to the turning tool 26 by the processing unit 14 .
- the turning tool 26 After receiving the instructions from the processing unit 14 , the turning tool 26 moves the defective blade 8 from its current position to the inspection position 38 where the blade 8 can undergo further inspection and analysis by a user.
- the process may proceed from step 110 to step 114 , where the processing unit 14 may provide to a user directions or guidance for locating the defective blade 8 in its current position and/or moving the defective blade 8 to an inspection position 38 without the assistance of the automated turning tool 26 .
- the directions or guidance may be written, pictorial, auditory or a combination of some of all of the aforementioned.
- the output unit 18 may display written directions advising a user to turn or rotate the engine stage a certain amount, to stop at a certain point, and the like.
- the output unit 18 may display a map of the engine 4 and may identify on the map the location of the defective blade 8 .
- the processing unit 14 may provide auditory directions for locating and/or moving the defective blade 8 to an inspection position 38 .
- Such auditory directions may include, but are not limited to, auditory spoken instructions, alarms, or beeps to guide the user.
- step 116 the process may proceed back to step 110 until all defective blades have been moved to an inspection position 38 for inspection or the user selects an option via the input unit 22 to discontinue or delay the inspection.
- the process ends at step 118 .
- the present disclosure sets forth a computer program product and method for performing position control on device members identified as defective by an automated defect detection.
- the method may include providing a storage medium that stores data and programs used in processing images and a processing unit that processes the images, receiving, by the processing unit from a image capture device coupled to the processing unit, a set of images of a plurality of members inside of a device, detecting, by the processing unit, a defect in a first member of the plurality of members, and providing instructions to move the first member to an inspection position in the device.
- the device may be an engine and the members may be blades within the engine.
- the computer program product may comprise a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein.
- the computer readable program code may be adapted to be executed to implement a method for performing position control on defective blades in an aircraft engine. Such method may comprise receiving from an image capture device video images of a plurality of the blades of a stage of the engine, detecting a defect in the first blade of the plurality of blades based the video images, transmitting instructions to a turning tool rotate the first blade to an inspection position, and rotating the first blade to the inspection position.
- the present disclosure provides for indexing of and position control of device members identified as defective by automated defect detection, thereby more efficiently locating such defective members for follow-up manual inspection.
- Such indexing and position control allows potential problems or defects to be located, confirmed and resolved while minimizing the time and effort to do so.
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Abstract
Description
- The present disclosure relates to position control used with automated defect inspection and, more particularly, relates to position control used with automated visual inspection of images or videos captured by borescopes.
- Video inspection systems, such as borescopes, have been widely used for capturing images or videos of difficult-to-reach locations by “snaking” image sensor(s) to these locations. Applications utilizing borescope inspections include aircraft engine blade inspection, power turbine blade inspection, internal inspection of mechanical devices, and the like.
- A variety of techniques for inspecting the images or videos provided by borescopes for determining defects therein have been proposed in the past. Most such techniques capture and display images or videos to human inspectors for defect detection and interpretation. Human inspectors then decide whether any defect within those images or videos exists. Other techniques utilize automated inspection techniques for analysis of images or video provided by a borescope.
- Once defects are detected in a member of a device, the member must typically be manually located within the device and reinspected to confirm the presence and extent of the defect identified in the images or video. Identifying and locating the defective member within the device may be time-consuming and difficult because of the size of the device, the quantity of members within the device that may need to be sorted through, the location of the defective member within the device, and, in some cases, the similarity of each member to one another. Accordingly, it would be beneficial if an improved technique were developed for controlling the position of members, within a device, for which defects have been detected.
- In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of performing position control is disclosed. The method may include providing a storage medium that stores data and programs used in processing images and a processing unit that processes the images, receiving, by the processing unit from an image capture device coupled to the processing unit, a set of images of a plurality of members inside of a device, detecting, by the processing unit, a defect in a first member of the plurality of members, and providing instructions to move the first member to an inspection position or other desired position in the device.
- In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for performing position control on defective blades in an aircraft engine is disclosed. The method may include providing a storage medium that stores data and programs used in processing video images and a processing unit that processes the video images, receiving from an image capture device video images of a plurality of the blades of the engine, the processing unit detecting a defect in the first blade of the plurality of blades based the video images, and providing instructions to move the first blade to an inspection position within the engine.
- In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is disclosed. The computer program product may comprise a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein. The computer readable program code may be adapted to be executed to implement a method for performing position control on defective blades in an aircraft engine. Such method may comprise receiving from an image capture device video images of a plurality of the blades of a stage of the engine, detecting a defect in the first blade of the plurality of blades based the video images, transmitting instructions to a turning tool rotate the first blade to an inspection position, and rotating the first blade to the inspection position.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a defect detection and position control system, in accordance with the present disclosure; -
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps of position control used in conjunction with automated defect detection, in accordance with the present disclosure; and -
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary set of images received by the processing unit ofFIG. 1 . - While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof, will be shown and described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
- Referring to
FIG. 1 , a schematic illustration of one embodiment of an automated defect detection andposition control system 2 is shown. As shown, thesystem 2 may include an engine 4 having a plurality ofstages 6, each of the stages having a plurality ofblades 8, some or all of which may require visual inspection periodically or at predetermined intervals by animage capture device 10. In one embodiment, theimage capture device 10 may be one or more borescopes. The engine 4 may be representative of a wide variety of engines, such as, jet aircraft engines, aeroderivative industrial gas turbines, steam turbines, diesel engines, automotive and truck engines, and the like. Notwithstanding the fact that the present disclosure has been described in relation to visual inspection of theblades 8 of an engine 4, in other embodiments, thesystem 2 may be employed to inspect other parts of the engine 4, as well as to perform inspection on the parts or members of other types of equipment and devices. Such parts/members are not limited to blades. For example, thesystem 2 may be used for medical endoscopes, inspecting critical interior surfaces in machined or cast parts, and the like. - The
image capture device 10 may be an optical device having an optical lens or other imaging device or image sensor at one end and capable of capturing and transmittingimages 34 or videos through acommunication channel 12 to aprocessing unit 14. Theimage capture device 10 may be representative of any of a variety of flexible borescopes or fiberscopes, rigid borescopes, video borescopes or other devices, such as, endoscopes, which are capable of capturing and transmitting images 34 (FIG. 3 ) or videos of difficult-to-reach areas through thecommunication channel 12. Thecommunication channel 12 in turn may be an optical channel or alternatively, may be any other wired, wireless or radio channel or any other type of channel capable of transmittingimages 34 and videos between two points including links involving the World Wide Web (www) or the internet. - With respect to the
processing unit 14, it may be located on-site near or on the engine 4, or alternatively, it may be located at a remote site away from the engine 4. Astorage medium 20 may be in communication with theprocessing unit 14. Thestorage medium 20 may store data and programs used in processingimages 34 or videos of theblades 8, and monitoring and controlling the position of the blade(s) 8 in the engine 4. Theprocessing unit 14 may receive and processimages 34 of theblades 8 that are captured and transmitted by theimage capture device 10 via thecommunication channel 12. Upon receiving theimages 34, theprocessing unit 14 may automatically process theimages 34 to perform feature extraction and image analysis and to determine whether there are any defects within any of theblades 8. In other embodiments the defect detection may be semi-automated. - The
system 2 may include anoutput unit 18. Results (e.g., the defects) may be transmitted throughcommunication channel 16 and displayed or printed by theoutput unit 18. The output unit may be a visual display, a printer, auditory unit, or the like. In addition, theoutput unit 18 may be a combination of the aforementioned exemplary output units. For example in one embodiment, the output unit may comprise a visual display, an auditory unit, and a printer. The results may include information regarding whether any defects in any of theblades 8 were found. Information about the type of defect, the location of the defect, size of the defect, etc. may also be reported as part of the results. For example, theoutput unit 18 may display a map of the engine 4 or a portion of the engine 4 and may identify the location of adefective blade 8 on the map. In another embodiment, theoutput unit 18 may display directions to guide a user to locate adefective blade 8 in the engine 4. The directions may be in a step by step format. In another embodiment, theoutput unit 18 may provide auditory directions or signals to guide a user to locate adefective blade 8 in the engine 4. - Similar to the
communication channel 12, thecommunication channel 16 may be any of variety of communication links including, wired channels, optical or wireless channels, radio channels or possibly links involving the World Wide Web (www) or the internet. It will also be understood that although theoutput unit 18 has been shown as being a separate entity from theprocessing unit 14, this need not always be the case. Rather, in at least some embodiments, theoutput unit 18 may be part of theprocessing unit 14 and the results may be stored within and reported through theprocessing unit 14 as well. Furthermore, reporting of the results may involve storing the results in thestorage medium 20 for future reference. - The
system 2 may include aninput unit 22 coupled to theprocessing unit 14. Theinput unit 22 may be a keyboard, touch screen or any other input device as known in the art. Theinput unit 22 may be coupled to theprocessing unit 14 bycommunication channel 24. Similar to thecommunication channel 12,communication channel 24 may be any of variety of communication links including, wired channels, optical or wireless channels, radio channels or possibly links involving the World Wide Web (www) or the internet. - The system may also include a
turning tool 26 coupled to theprocessing unit 14 bycommunication channel 28. Theturning tool 26 may be coupled to the engine 4 by directmechanical coupling 30 or other means causing the movement ofblades 8. In one embodiment the turning tool may be coupled to theengine stage 6. Theturning tool 26 is configured to move theblades 8 of the engine 4 based on instructions provided to theturning tool 26 by theprocessing unit 14. In one embodiment, the turningtool 26 may be a motor configured to move ablade 8 of anengine stage 6 into aninspection position 38 based on instructions received from theprocessing unit 14. Theinspection position 38 may, for example, be a port or appropriately sized opening in the engine 4 through which maintenance or other personnel may visually inspect theblade 8 directly or using a borescope. Similar to thecommunication channel 12, thecommunication channel 28 may be any of variety of communication links including, wired channels, optical or wireless channels, radio channels or possibly links involving the World Wide Web (www) or the internet. -
FIG. 2 is anexemplary flowchart 100 showing sample steps which may be followed in performing automated defect detection and position control using thesystem 2. As shown, after starting atstep 102, the process proceeds to step 104, in which an initial set 32 (seeFIG. 3 ) ofimages 34 ofmembers 8 of a device 4 may be received by theprocessing unit 14 from theimage capture device 10. In one exemplary embodiment discussed below, the device may be an engine 4 and the members may beblades 8 within anengine stage 6. Theimages 34 may bevideo images 34 or frames, or the like. Theset 32 ofimages 34 may be sequential in terms of the order in which they are captured by the image capture device (e.g. image one followed by image two, etc.). In other embodiments, theimages 34 may be non-sequential with regard to the order in which theimages 34 were captured by theimage capture device 10. For example, every third image captured by theimage capture device 10 may be received by theprocessing unit 14. - The
blades 8 may be rotating in the engine 4 at the time thevideo images 34 are captured. For example, theblades 8 may rotate toward or away from theimage capture device 10 when theimages 34 are being captured. Theimages 34 captured may be of thesame blade 8 in different positions in the field of view of theimage capture device 10 and/or may be of a plurality ofblades 8 in different positions in the field of view of theimage capture device 10. Thus, there may be periodic or semi-periodic motion in the recorded videos of such inspectedengine blades 8. - In
step 106 theprocessing unit 14 may extract the features from eachblade 8 from the set 32 ofimages 34 and may detect defects in one ormore blades 8 of the engine 4. Various techniques of feature extraction and defect detection may be utilized by theprocessing unit 14. For example, defects may be determined by comparing received image data from theimage capture device 10 with a normal model of anundamaged blade 8. The normal model may be created or otherwise learned automatically from data transmitted by theimage capture device 10, or alternatively, the normal model may be created by input from a user. - In one embodiment, Robust Principal Component Analysis (RPCA) may be utilized to determine the normal model and/or detect defects. RPCA may be applied to the
set 32 ofimages 34 to decompose theset 32 ofimages 34 received by theprocessing unit 14 from theimage capture device 10 into a first series of low rank component images (low rank matrix) and a second series of sparse component anomaly images (sparse matrix). Typicallyblades 8 of an engine 4 are of the same size in a givenengine stage 6. When asecond blade 8 rotates to the same position as that which thefirst blade 8 had been in previously, the twoimages 34 taken at the two different instances are generally almost the same. The repetitive, nearlyidentical images 34 are captured in the low rank matrix and may be utilized to create a normal blade model. The damaged areas, for example nicks or dents, which tend to occupy a small percentage of the entire image, are captured in the sparse matrix and may, in some embodiments, be further processed for defect detection. An example of such additional processing done on image data in the sparse matrix may include statistical techniques such as polynomial fitting, blob extraction and size filtering, and morphological filtering and the like to detect non-smooth edges, to filter out small regions and sporadic pixels etc. - Alternatively, or in addition, a feature based approach for extracting features, such as, corner-like features and intensity gradient features, to determine any common features between
images 34 may be utilized. In yet another alternative, an image based approach may be utilized where the entire image is used when comparing a current image withprior images 34. In other embodiments, a combination of feature based and image based approaches, or other commonly employed technique for aligning and comparing the current and theprior images 34 may be employed as well. - Techniques like SURF (Speeded Up Robust Features) and SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature Transform) may be employed for feature correspondence extraction or techniques, such as, FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) and NCC (Normalized Cross Co-relation) may be employed for image based comparison. All of the aforementioned techniques are well known in the art and, accordingly, for conciseness of expression, they have not been described here. Notwithstanding the fact that in the present embodiment, only the SURF, SIFT, FFT and NCC techniques for image comparison have been mentioned, in at least some embodiments, other types of techniques that are commonly employed for comparing
images 34 or for detecting differences or defects inimages 34 may be used. - The automated defect detection analysis performed by the
processing unit 14 may also implement a classifier that confirms and verifies potential defects as either defects or non-defects. In at least some embodiments, the classifier may be implemented as a mathematical expression that may utilize the results of the automated analysis and may classify the results of the automated analysis into defects or non-defects and may report that classification as a binary output. Thus, for example, if the automated analysis technique used by theprocessing unit 14 finds a potential defect within theblades 8 corresponding to theset 32 ofimages 34 received, then the classifier may classify those results as a defect and may output a binary value of one (1). On the other hand, if the automated analysis did not find any defect, the classifier may classify those results as a non-defect and may output a binary value of zero (0). - The classifier may be implemented by the
processing unit 14 in any of a variety of ways provided that the technique chosen is compatible with the automated analysis technique of thestep 106. In at least some embodiments, the classifier may be a support vector machine classifier, while in other embodiments the classifier may be a neural net classifier, a bayesian classifier and the like. Classifiers other than those mentioned above may be employed in alternate embodiments. - Defects identified through automatic detection may include, but are not limited to, types of defects such as leading edge defects, erosions, nicks, dents, cracks or cuts, the location of the defects, the size of the defects and other defect parameters. After finding defects at
step 106, the position of eachblade 8 in the engine 4 orengine stage 6 is indexed. In one embodiment, a reference blade 36 is selected from the plurality ofblades 8. The selection of the reference blade 36 may be done automatically by theprocessing unit 14 or may be selected by a user of thesystem 2 and input via theinput unit 22 into theprocessing unit 14 for use in indexing. The position ofreference blade 16 is retained instorage medium 20 during the subsequent movement ofblades 8 by continuously countingsubsequent blades 8 and their direction of motion as they are seen by the image capture device (10). - In one embodiment, a reference blade 36 is selected and the location of each
blade 8 is indexed in theengine stage 6 according to its relative position to the reference blade 36. This relative position may be determined by theprocessing unit 14 by analysis of theset 32 ofimages 34 or video received from theimage capture device 10 to determine the number ofblades 8, away from thespecific blade 8 to be indexed, is from the reference blade 36. In an embodiment, the relative position of the blade to be indexed from the reference blade 36 may be determined by analysis of theimages 34 or video captured by theimage capture device 10 while theblade 8 moves or rotates in the engine 4. - In another embodiment, the location of each
blade 8 within theengine stage 6 may be indexed by each blade's 8 unique appearance. Theprocessing unit 14 determines each blade's 8 unique appearance by analysis of theimages 34 or video received from theimage capture device 10. Theprocessing unit 14 may utilize two dimensionalsegmented images 34 or three-dimensional images 34 synthesized fromsuccessive images 34 captured while theblade 8 moves or rotates in the engine 4. The unique appearance of a blade includes one or more of its visual appearance, 2D or 3D shape, defects (regardless of size or operational significance), color, etc. - In an alternative embodiment, where the
blades 8 are highly similar, theblades 8 may be indexed by their offset from a reference blade 36 of unique appearance. Similar to above, the unique appearance of thereference blade 8 may be determined by theprocessing unit 14 in a variety of ways. For example, ablade 8 of unique appearance may be determined from two dimensionalsegmented images 34 or may be determined by three-dimensional images 34 synthesized fromsuccessive images 34 captured by theimage capture device 10 while theblade 8 moves or rotates in the engine 4. - In
step 110 the user may be provided with the option whether to investigate detected defects further. In some embodiments, the user may chose to dismiss further investigation, in which case the process to step 118 and ends. Alternatively, the user may chose to investigate the defects further. - If the user chooses to investigate the defects further, the process, in one embodiment, proceeds to step 112. In
step 112, theprocessing unit 14 transmits to aturning tool 26 instructions to move thedefective blade 8 to aninspection position 38. In some embodiments theturning tool 26 may be a motor. Theturning tool 26 may be coupled, directly or indirectly, to the engine 4 orengine stage 6. Theturning tool 26 may be configured to move or rotate thedefective blade 8 from its current position to aninspection position 38 based on the instructions transmitted to theturning tool 26 by theprocessing unit 14. - After receiving the instructions from the
processing unit 14, the turningtool 26 moves thedefective blade 8 from its current position to theinspection position 38 where theblade 8 can undergo further inspection and analysis by a user. - Alternatively, the process may proceed from
step 110 to step 114, where theprocessing unit 14 may provide to a user directions or guidance for locating thedefective blade 8 in its current position and/or moving thedefective blade 8 to aninspection position 38 without the assistance of theautomated turning tool 26. The directions or guidance may be written, pictorial, auditory or a combination of some of all of the aforementioned. For example, in one embodiment theoutput unit 18 may display written directions advising a user to turn or rotate the engine stage a certain amount, to stop at a certain point, and the like. In another embodiment, theoutput unit 18 may display a map of the engine 4 and may identify on the map the location of thedefective blade 8. In yet another embodiment, theprocessing unit 14 may provide auditory directions for locating and/or moving thedefective blade 8 to aninspection position 38. Such auditory directions may include, but are not limited to, auditory spoken instructions, alarms, or beeps to guide the user. - Once a
defective blade 8 is located and moved from its current position to theinspection position 38 instep 116, the process may proceed back to step 110 until all defective blades have been moved to aninspection position 38 for inspection or the user selects an option via theinput unit 22 to discontinue or delay the inspection. At the point that there are no moredefective blades 8 to inspect or the user selects to discontinue or delay inspection, the process ends atstep 118. - In general, the present disclosure sets forth a computer program product and method for performing position control on device members identified as defective by an automated defect detection.
- The method may include providing a storage medium that stores data and programs used in processing images and a processing unit that processes the images, receiving, by the processing unit from a image capture device coupled to the processing unit, a set of images of a plurality of members inside of a device, detecting, by the processing unit, a defect in a first member of the plurality of members, and providing instructions to move the first member to an inspection position in the device. The device may be an engine and the members may be blades within the engine.
- The computer program product may comprise a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein. The computer readable program code may be adapted to be executed to implement a method for performing position control on defective blades in an aircraft engine. Such method may comprise receiving from an image capture device video images of a plurality of the blades of a stage of the engine, detecting a defect in the first blade of the plurality of blades based the video images, transmitting instructions to a turning tool rotate the first blade to an inspection position, and rotating the first blade to the inspection position.
- The present disclosure provides for indexing of and position control of device members identified as defective by automated defect detection, thereby more efficiently locating such defective members for follow-up manual inspection. Such indexing and position control allows potential problems or defects to be located, confirmed and resolved while minimizing the time and effort to do so.
- While only certain embodiments have been set forth, alternatives and modifications will be apparent from the above description to those skilled in the art. These and other alternatives are considered equivalents and within the spirit and scope of this disclosure and the appended claims.
Claims (20)
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Also Published As
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EP2776896B1 (en) | 2017-12-13 |
WO2013070464A3 (en) | 2013-07-18 |
EP2776896A2 (en) | 2014-09-17 |
US9471057B2 (en) | 2016-10-18 |
WO2013070464A2 (en) | 2013-05-16 |
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